Foodservice Manufacturing Plant

Project Consulting

Cooling tower systems are by far the largest water users in the client's plant, drawing more than 69MM gallons of water per year in city makeup, with costs exceeding 500K per year and requiring roughly 410 drums (4,100 pounds) of hazardous chemistry - including sulfuric acid - to treat. Earthwise Environmental determined that immediate implementation of a viable water-saving technology should be considered to reduce the plant's water footprint, water costs and chemical handling liabilities.

For the past few years, Earthwise Environmental has beta tested and investigated numerous "non-chemical" programs including pulsed power, magnetic fields and vortices, among others. Most have shown dubious results, plus the inability to control all three pieces of the water treatment "triangle" of scale, corrosion and microbiological control.

Solutions

Earthwise Environmental's recommendations were centered on its patented eSolutions cooling tower program - a reliable and proven ion exchange technology, designed to remove and/or replace harmful dissolved water contaminants and allow greatly increased cycles of concentration. For microbiological control, Earthwise Environmental is employing technology that replaces the feed of existing liquid biocides with equipment that uses simple salt to make a mixed chlorine-based oxidant on site. Using MIOX's patented, innovative technology, disinfectant will be generated on site, on demand, using just salt, water and power and eliminating the need to purchase, transport and store dangerous chemicals. Creating disinfectant on site is environmentally responsible, reduces transportation requirements by up to 80 percent, limits carbon emissions and fuel consumption, and eliminates the storage and disposal of chemical containers.

Mixed oxidants also are very effective against biofouling build-up, which forms inside water system distribution pipelines and can harbor harmful microorganisms, including Legionella. By eliminating biofouling, mixed oxidants remove a potential shelter for bacteria in the water supply.

Benefits and Results

• Eliminated ALL chemistries, including sulfuric acid, from the plant
• Achieving increased concentration cycles, with projected savings of nearly 18MM gallons of water per year
• Delivering an expected annual savings of $206,184 in chemical and water costs
• Reducing the cooling water bleed by approximately 75 percent
• Eliminating the handling, freight and storage of 410 plastic drums